Mommy Dearest
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: "She watched her baby girl struggling in that little incubator, and it hit her, like a freight train. That was her daughter- she was a mom. And she realized she couldn't give this baby up." Post-'Something Borrowed, Something Blew Up'. M/M friendship.


A/N: This is my first In Plain Sight Story, and other than this story's sequel, 'Daddy Darling', I don't know if I'll ever write another one. But this season I absolutely loved, and after the finale, I felt compelled to write this. It's my own little version of events after 'Something Borrowed, Something Blew Up'. It's Mary/Marshall friendship, and a teeny-tiny amount of implied Mary/Mark. But mostly Mary/Marshall friendship. Do tell me what you think! :)

Disclaimer: I own the baby's name. That's about it.

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><p>It was all a blur.<p>

She could remember the pain- that was easy to remember- and then one fragile cry from her baby before everything melded into one.

She woke up slowly; her head hurt, and she felt like she'd been run over by a truck. Basically, how she felt whenever she woke up with Mark, recently.

She blinked her eyes open, becoming aware of someone sitting near her bed. Focusing on the dark hair, she realized that it was Marshall.

"Mar-"

She stopped; it hurt to talk. He looked up anyway, his eyes bloodshot as they met hers.

"Mary- you're awake," he said, rubbing at his eyes. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap," she replied, glaring slightly. "How did you think I'd feel?"

"It's a question one generally asks when someone awakes from a two day coma," Marshall replied, and Mary's eyes widened.

"Two days? No kidding," Mary said, shaking her head.

"Jinx and Brandi went to get some food in Mark- he hadn't left your bedside the entire time," Marshall informed her, and she shrugged, wincing slightly.

"Didn't know he had it in 'em," Mary said, and Marshall rolled his eyes. She swallowed, pushing the next words out of her throat. "How's the baby?"

"In the NICU, on a ventilator," Marshall told her, and she swallowed again. "Your daughter's a fighter, Mary."

"Daughter?" Mary asked, and he nodded. "Mark didn't name her, did he? Because it's probably something like Judy or Eileen or-"

"No, she's still just Baby Shannon," Marshall said, interrupting. "Mark didn't do anything."

"I feel as though that's supposed to impress me," Mary said, and Marshall sighed.

"The guy cares, Mary. I cannot see why you don't see that," he said, and she shrugged.

"You weren't married to the guy," she replied, and he snorted.

"You were- and then you divorced him. And you still managed to sleep with him when he came back in town," he told her, and she glared.

"Oh, thanks, rub it in. It's not like I'm in a hospital bed and can't kick your ass or anything," Mary said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Do you want to see her?" Marshall asked, hesitant, and Mary stalled, not knowing what was best. Then, she did what she normally did- said the first thing that popped into her head.

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence as both of them realized what she'd said. But she couldn't take it back- and she honestly didn't want to- so the words hung thick in the air for that moment.

"I'll go get a nurse," Marshall said, standing. He was back a few moments later, a heavyset nurse named Tammy with him.

"Wanna see your daughter, sugar?" she asked, and Mary took an instant like towards the woman. Not enough people called you 'sugar' anymore. With a nod, Tammy and Marshall helped her into a wheelchair, and then they headed down to the NICU.

Mary swallowed as she was pushed- not by her choice, mind you, because she hated being helped- down the hallway, towards her daughter.

Who, if she made the decision, wouldn't even _be_ her daughter anymore.

Then, they were in front of a glass wall, and her breath caught in her throat at the lone baby behind the glass.

The little girl was so tiny- she was connected to tubes and wires, and she had the tiniest swath of blonde hair on her head. She squirmed a little, her small hands reaching out into thin air, and she leaned forward, mesmerized by the sight in front of her.

She watched her baby girl struggling in that little incubator, and it hit her, like a freight train. That was her daughter- she was a mom. And she realized she couldn't give this baby up. She just couldn't.

She may not be cut out to be a mom, or raise a kid the right way, and she may not have chosen this- but she couldn't turn her back on that tiny human being, struggling only feet in front of her. And she couldn't pass her onto another family, because she couldn't give away this part of her that she had created.

It had taken actually seeing her baby for the feelings to materialize inside of her. Ultrasounds and heartbeats were so different than seeing your baby hooked up to machines and realizing just how much you could love one person.

"She's so small," Mary said, for once not making any sarcastic comments.

"She's hooked up to those machines to keep her alive," Tammy said, her accent bleeding through her words. "But she's a fighter, this one is."

"That's because she's Mary's daughter," Marshall said, and she found his hand, squeezing it gently, something uncharacteristic of her, but it needed to be done in this case.

"Y'all can go in and see her if ya want," Tammy said, and Mary's heart skipped a beat. "Just put those scrubs on and the masks."

"Thank you, Tammy," Mary said, and the nurse nodded, snapping her gum.

"I've gotta get back- I'll see y'all on my next shift."

With that they entered the sterilizing station, and they both donned the thick yellow scrubs and put on the masks.

"You look like a Teletubby," Mary informed Marshall, and he rolled his eyes.

"Go look in a mirror," he retorted, and she smiled, shaking her head.

They headed for the baby's incubator, and Mary was hesitant to touch her.

"She's stable, Mary," Marshall said, and she braced herself for his flood of knowledge. "She's actually quite strong, and thirty two weeks. She's-"

"Alright, that's enough, Marshall Encyclopedia," she said, interrupting him. He folded his arms, and she was almost positive he was smirking behind his mask. "Do not smirk and think I can't see it through that mask."

Turning, she faced the incubator, and cautiously inserted one hand, running her finger over the baby's foot lightly. She jerked her foot away, and Mary's breath caught in her throat again.

"Hi," she whispered, watching as the baby turned her head towards her, hearing her voice. "I'm your mom, kid."

Marshall made a sound behind her, but she ignored him.

"I think I know what your name should be," Mary said, and then Marshall spoke.

"Shouldn't you consult Mark-"

"Did I consult Mark at all about the pregnancy? I think not. Why should now be any different?" Mary asked, cutting him off, and Marshall sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Just some friendly advice," he said, and she nodded.

"My friendly advice? You're wasting your breath," Mary said, not turning away from her daughter. "What do you think, Honor? Is he wasting his breath?"

"Honor?" Marshall asked, and she nodded, not turning around. "I like it."

"Well thank the heavens, Marshall likes it," Mary said, but she was teasing, he could tell. "Do you like it Honor?"

The infant kicked her feet, and the corners of Mary's mouth curled up before she could stop them.

"You're gonna ruin my rep for never smiling, kid," Mary whispered, but Marshall heard her anyway.

"That was a given the moment you laid eyes on her," Marshall said, his next words light and teasing.

"Mommy dearest."

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><p>AN: There will be a sequel, 'Daddy Darling', that involves Honor coming home. It should be up within the next few days. Thanks for reading- tell me what you thought :)


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